A Blessing In Disguise
by GlazedAndConfused
Summary: AU. What if Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01, was an autistic savant? How would things go from there? Would he cope with the new environment, and the tasks he is assigned in the battle against the Angels? [Chapter 2 Up]
1. It's Hard To Say Goodbye

**: A Blessing In Disguise :**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

**DISCLAIMER**

Studio GAINAX and Hideaki Anno own Evangelion. I don't; I'm only 'borrowing' the characters...

* * *

This fic is inspired by the fact that I have an autistic brother. I don't know if the topic of Shinji having a disability such as autism has been implemented in the Evangelion fanfic world before. But, anyway. This will be following the plot of Evangelion (duh), except with my own deviations in the storyline. I have explored the subject of autism before in one of my other fics, so this should be fairly similar. 

Hope you enjoy it. :)

* * *

"..."- denotes speech.  
"(...)"- denotes whispering.  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter One_ :** _It's Hard To Say Goodbye__

* * *

__"What? You can't just take him from here!" came the shrill voice of a woman, clearly upset._

_"I apologise, ma'am. But neither of us have no choice." This time, it was a male voice, trying to reason._

_"But I've told you before; this child is severely disabled!"_

_"This boy is the Third Child. The fate of humanity lies in his hands. He has to pilot our Eva."_

_"Can't you get somebody else?"_

_"I'm afraid not. He is the only choice. Besides, these are orders of the commander of NERV."_

_"Him! Over my dead body! Do you know what that man did? He abandoned his son not too long after the death of his wife! You should know; you ARE his second-in-command!"_

_"Like I said, this is for the good of humanity. Which would you prefer; life to come to an end at the hands of the Angels, or the world to be rid of them once and for all?"_

_There was a long pause._

_"I can't contend with your argument, Fuyutsuki-san. When do you want him picked up?"_

_"Tomorrow."_

_The man named Fuyutsuki was about to turn and leave, when he was stopped by the woman he persuaded. "Wait, Fuyutsuki-san..."_

_"Hai?"_

_The woman paused again, trying to find the right words. "Promise... promise me, that Shinji-kun will be taken care of for as long as you intend on keeping him. As I told you before, he has a severe disability which hinders him in life. He needs all the support he can get."_

_Fuyutsuki smiled. "I promise." He then walked down the hall and through the double doors, the woman's face turning into a frown at the thought of never being able to see the young boy for a long time..._

* * *

**In the year 2015 AD...**

"Damn, why did I have to lose him at a time like this!" Misato Katsuragi said in an annoyed tone as she sped through the barren streets of Tokyo-3, a frown on her face. Taking her eye off the road - one of her many habits while at the wheel (not that it made a difference, of course; her driving skills were amongst the worst known to man - and that was even when she did have all eyes on the road) - she looked down at the folders that rested on the passenger seat and looked at the photo clipped onto the top folder. It was a Polaroid picture of a young boy with brown, straight hair and eyes of a matching colour. His face showed little, if any, traces of emotion; his eyes definitely not showing any signs of how he felt at the time the photo was taken. The violet-haired woman smiled; he looked like a good enough child, an obedient one at that.

* * *

_"Due to the state of emergency that has been issued, all lines are unavailable at this moment in time."_

"It's no use." A woman in her late 20s/early 30s with wavy brown hair placed the phone back on the hanger and sighed dejectedly. Reaching into her pocket, she took out a photo of a beautiful woman with long, flowing purple hair in a tanktop and denim shorts. She was bent over suggestively, showing off a good eyeful of her cleavage while flashing the 'V' sign. Pointing at the said anatomy of her body was an arrow drawn on with a black marker, with the label 'Take a look at this!' - complete with a lipstick kiss mark on the bottom left hand corner. She shook her head and smiled. _Katsuragi-_san_ seems to be a good person, albeit one who flaunts herself..._ she thought.

A boy in his early to mid-teens was sitting on a bench on the pavement, rocking back and forth slightly in content. He had chocolate brown hair with matching eyes, and had pale skin with a slim build. His face and eyes showed no traces of emotion; not even so much as happiness or sadness.

In short, he looked to be a real enigma.

"Shinji-_kun_, Katsuragi-_san_ will be here any moment to pick you up," the woman spoke, her voice as calming and soothing as the scent of lavender. "You be good for her, okay?"

"Yeah." he replied. "Be good for Katsuragi-_san_."

The woman sighed, smiling down at the boy named Shinji. Being with him filled her with happiness, but at the same time she was sad. She knew that as long as the boy was needed by NERV, she would not be able to see her beloved Shinji again. A tear formed in her eye, rolled down her cheek and dripped off her chin as she thought of this. She had grown too accustomed to the boy's presence to imagine life without looking after him and helping him progress through life. Without having him as a companion.

Without being able to talk to him.

The mere thought of his absence was unbearable to this woman.

Forcing her tears back and stemming the flow, she put the picture back in her pocket and walked over to Shinji, taking a seat next to him. She was about to speak again when the calmness of the humid air was shattered by the loud, almost deafening sounds of a building collapsing; the sounds of large lumps of concrete smashing into the ground below, windows shattering and foundations creaking and eventually snapping into pieces with the impact. Above one of the towering hilltops in the distance, they could see advancing military aircraft, followed by the Third Angel as it began it's rampage through the city. It was the exact image of the stuff of nightmares; the vision of it's black, distorted body, the long and slender limbs, hunchbacked posture and bent beak would not have failed in filling any human being that saw it up close with dread.

After a few moments of looking on in horror, her thoughts of impending doom were interrupted by the piercing screech of tyres followed by the sound of smashing metal. Looking at the car, the driver's door was thrown open.

"Hurry! Get in!" A woman's voice called. The brown-haired woman took the boy by the hand and wasted no time in clambering inside the car, recognising the driver as the woman that was in her picture. No sooner than their seatbelts were tightened, the woman took off at full speed, narrowly missing the rapidly descending foot of the Angel.

* * *

"That was lucky; another second and we would have been dead. But we're alright now," the violet-haired woman said cheerfully, removing her shades. 

"Thank you," the brown-haired woman. "You are Misato Katsuragi, I presume?"

"_Hai_," replied the woman named Misato. She looked over her shoulder at the two in the back seats. "And your name is?"

"My name is Yuki Ishida. This is Shinji Ikari."

Misato was about to talk some more to the two before she saw the same fighter jets as before engage in further combat with the Angel. Pulling out her binoculars, she peered through them for a few moments without saying a word, and noticed that the fighter jets had pulled away from the Angel.

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.

"What's wrong?" Yuki asked, a concerned tone in her voice.

"They're about to drop an N2 mine!"

Yuki's expression matched that of Misato's upon hearing the news. Instinctively, she threw her arms around Shinji and threw herself on top of him so that they were lying on the back seats. Misato did the same, ducking as low as she could while holding her arms over her head. Nothing less than two seconds later, a bright flash of light appeared in the distant horizon. There was a few seconds of ominous silence with nothing happening during that short time. Then, with unbelievable speed, the shockwave hit. It tore through the land, destroying everything in it's path - from fences and metal railings running along the road to larger trees and power lines, turning them into literally nothing. The ground rumbled for the duration of the entire event, with the skyline looking crimson as far as the eye could see. As quick as the destructive shockwave came, it ended, leaving an all too eerie silence in the air.

Emerging from the car that was now standing on it's side, Misato noticed that it was thrown from it's original location to another one further away, knowing that it was not heavy enough to resist the blast. Looking around, she noticed that what was once land rich with trees and grass was now nothing more than a barren wasteland. The area was now completely stripped of everything that was once on it. Slowly, Yuki emerged from the car and observed the scene before her. Shinji was in the car, curled up into a fetal position; his hands on his ears as he rocked back and forth nervously, making repetitive screeching sounds. The brown-haired assistant placed her hand on Misato's shoulder.

"Pardon me, Katsuragi-_san_," she said. "I'm just going to see to Shinji. He seems to be shaken up."

"Okay." Misato replied, a smile on her face.

After a few moments, Yuki managed to get Shinji calmed down via the sunroof as Misato watched on with admiration. After Yuki had finished, the violet-haired woman approached her.

"We're going to have to push the car onto all four wheels," she explained. "Could you help me get Shinji out please?"

"Of course." Yuki and Misato walked up to the car and peered down the window of the passenger door at the Third Child, who was looking around warily. Misato opened the passenger door.

"Shinji-_kun_?" she called. "Can you stand up?"

Slowly but surely, Shinji stood up.

"Okay, lift both of your arms up."

Shinji did as he was told. Yuki and Misato gently grabbed an arm each and hoisted the Third Child carefully out of the car so as not to tip it onto all fours while he was still in the car. After getting him out, Yuki moved him so he wasn't anywhere near the car when her and Misato would attempt to

"One... two... three... PUSH!"

Yuki and Misato leant against the car and shoved with all their strength in order to get the car back on it's wheels. Eventually, the car slowly tipped and landed on all fours with a loud crash. Observing the car, Misato noticed that it had several dents and scratches all over the bodywork. She placed a hand on the back of her head, sheepishly.

"Ah well..." she muttered. "It'll have to do." She turned to Yuki and Shinji, smiling. "Well, let's go."

With that, all three got in the car and closed the doors, with Misato starting the engine and speeding off.

* * *

"Don't worry about it," Misato said, speaking into the phone fixed between the driver's seat as she drove down a winding hillside road. "I told you, the Third Child's safety is top priority." Pause. "Could you get a car train ready to pick us up? The express one." Another pause. "Okay. I did volunteer to pick him up, so I'm responsible for getting him there." Yet again, a pause. "Okay, bye." She placed the phone back down on the hook and turned to look at Shinji and Yuki who were in the passenger seats at the back. Shinji was rocking back and forth, humming a tune to himself while looking out the window, fidgeting with his hands. Yuki was looking on with concern as Misato took her eyes - yet again - off the road. 

"He's really quiet, isn't he, Ishida-_san_?"

"_Hai_," Yuki nodded, turning to look at Shinji. "He's never been much of a talkative person."

"So there isn't much of a chance of a conversation, I take it?"

"Not unless you talk to him about things he likes. Yet, even then he's never spoken that much."

"I see."

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, bar Misato's whistling.

* * *

After a short while, they reached themassive complexthat was NERV headquarters. Stepping inside, Yuki and Shinji both looked around, equallycurious about their surroundings.They reached the barriers with the swipe slots for the ID cards. Misato stopped Yuki before she was about to proceed any further. 

"I'm sorry, Ishida-san. But this is where your journey ends."

Yuki looked downcast. "...I understand."

Misato placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He will be okay, I promise. Would you like to spend a moment or two with him? Just to say goodbye?"

The brown-haired woman smiled slightly and nodded, tears forming in her eyes. She walked over to Shinji and placed two hands on his shoulders. "Well... this is where we say goodbye," she spoke, her voice wavering, "...Shinji-kun."

"Yeah," replied the Third Child.

Yuki smiled at his innocence and naivety. "I just want you to know that... I may not be with you in person, but I will be with you in here," she continued, pointing at his chest. "And you will be in mine. I have really liked being able to look after you, Shinji-kun. And I'm..." The tears in her eyes started to fall uncontrollable, her body heaving with every sob. "...I'm really going to miss you." She wrapped her arms around him tentatively, yet lovingly. The Third Child did not seem to object, as he reciprocated the embrace with the same amount of gentleness.

Time passed slowly between the two, as Yuki just wanted to stay in that position for as long as she could, with Shinji in her arms. After a few moments more, she let go very hesitantly, her cheeks streaked with tears.

"You b-be good for Katsuragi-san, okay?" she said, offering a sad smile.

"Yeah."

She leant over and put her hands on his shoulders again, giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"You better get going."

Shinji, taking one last glance at the woman who was his long-time carer, walked over to Misato who was waiting by the elevator. She could only watch in tears as the elevator slowly - and painfully - made it's decent. As it disappeared out of sight, along with Shinji and Misato, she whispered three words.

_Goodbye, Shinji-_kun

* * *

**END CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

The first chapter of my second Evangelion fic is up. The second will be up in the coming week or two. :)

If there is anything you feel is unrealistic in the sense that I am portraying Shinji as an autistic savant in this fic, let me know - you can get my email address in my profile. I know the idea seems very unrealistic, but bearEpisode 1 in mind, when Gendo would have resorted to using Rei - who was literally covered in head to toe in bandages - to pilot her Eva hadShinji refused to pilot altogether.If he would have commanded her to pilot the Eva knowing fully well she was badly injured, he may well do the same to Shinji if he were afflicted by an injury or disbility of any sort.

Feedback of all kinds is welcome.


	2. New People, New Home

**: A Blessing In Disguise :**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

**DISCLAIMER**

Nope, I still don't own Evangelion... yet.

* * *

"..." - denotes speech.  
"(...)" - denotes whispering.  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Two_ :** _New People, New Home

* * *

_

Misato and Shinji were in the former person's car, parked in one of the carriages of the express train. The violet-haired woman was sat back in her seat leisurely, her hands held behind her head. She glanced sideways at her young companion, who was looking around curiously outside the window, his hands pressed against the window as he absorbed their surroundings. Misato couldn't help but smile at his curiosity; her smile widened as he heard him start to mimic the clanking of the trains wheels as it moved along the tracks. Nothing was said between the two for a while, before they reached an area of the line where both walls were made of reinforced glass with metal frames. This aroused the Third Child's curiosity even further. His face was literally pressed against the window at the sight that greeted his eyes from below; hundreds of buildings underground, having been moved down there as a precaution during the Angel attack. Below was what looked like a large pool of water, glimmering in the yellow light.

"Misato, what's this?" Shinji asked in a monotone voice that made the violet-haired woman shudder.

"It's a GeoFront, Shinji-_kun_," Misato replied, smiling at him. "A real GeoFront. This is our secret underground base; NERV headquarters. The key to rebuilding our world; a fortress for all humanity."

Shinji continued to look out the window, the faintest traces of an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Pretty. Pretty GeoFront."

Misato continued to smile as he continued to repeat the words 'pretty GeoFront'.

* * *

"Ehhhh... what on Earth? Isn't this the right way?" Misato sighed. She had spent at least ten minutes trying to escort her male companion to the central area of NERV. Any thoughts she had in her head of getting there any time within the next five minutes would soon be dispelled as she took a confused glance at the complex map. "I'm still not used to this place yet..." She took a breath before continuing, looking up. "Where the hell is Ritsuko, anyway..."

* * *

_"Would Dr. Ritsuko Akagi please contact Captain Misato Katsuragi of Operations, Division 1, immediately? I repeat, would Dr. Ritsuko Akagi please contact Captain Misato Katsuragi of Operations, Division 1, immediately?"_

A woman wearing a black diving suit with royal blue lines running up the sides climbed onto the ledge, her body dripping with water. Unzipping the back of her diving suit to reveal a pale blue bikini top, she stepped out of it as she removed her goggles and placed them on the floor next to her oxygen tank and flippers.

"I don't believe it..." the woman named Ritsuko muttered, sighing disbelievingly. "Don't tell me she's gotten lost again."

* * *

27.

The lift continued to rise, the number '7' on the dial moving upwards slowly.

28.

The dial stopped moving as the lift stopped is ascent. Unlike her violet-haired friend, Ritsuko Akagi was more than familiar with the labyrinth of corridors of NERV headquarters, and barely needed a map to reach the main elevator, where the Captain and the Third Child were waiting. Needless to say, she was annoyed. Having to act as Misato's human map every time she got lost would do that after a while. Misato grimaced as she saw her reflection in the metal elevator doors replaced by the slight antagonised scowl on the blond-haired doctor's face.

"Uh... hi there, Ritsuko!" Misato said, sheepishly as she tried to find the right words.

Ritsuko had no words for her as she moved forwards forcing the violet-haired Captain moving backwards, unable to meet her piercing gaze. No words were spoken between the two for a few seconds, until the blond-haired doctor decided to break the silence.

"Misato..." she said, annoyed. "What do you think you're doing, wasting my time like this? We're short onnot onlymanpower, but alsotime. You cannot tell me you're not aware of this."

"_Gomen_."

Ritsuko sighed as if to say 'she will never learn', then shook her head. She glanced sideways at Shinji, who was rocking back and forth on the spot, his eyes transfixed on the metal elevator door. Her face relaxed into a more neutral, calm expression. "So, this is the boy?" she said.

Misato nodded. "_Hai_. He is the 'Third Child', in accordance to the Marduk Report."

Ritsuko gave Shinji a friendly smile. "Pleased to meet you."

Shinji turned to face Ritsuko, avoiding all eye contact with her. His emotionless face sent a shiver down Ritsuko's spine, as it resembled that of a zombie to her. "Shinji Ikari" he said in the same monotone voice while outstretching his hand as if to offer a handshake in greeting. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

Ritsuko looked surprised for a moment, then accepted the handshake, her smile widening. She turned back to Misato. "He seems very pleasant mannered."

The violet-haired Captain nodded in agreement. "He does, although he also seems a bit... strange."

The blond-haired doctor's expression became neutral and serious, as Misato's last sentence reminded her of something she was meant to tell the Captain. "That reminds me of something that I think you ought to know. But it'll have to wait until we have defeated the Angel."

"Okay..." Misato cleared her throat. "So how's Unit-01 doing, then?"

"At the moment, it's under refrigeration using the 'B-Type' equipment." Ritsuko answered, turning to face the Captain.

"It's never worked before, though. So, is it really going to work?" Misato continued.

"Activation possibility is 0.000000001 percent. We call it the 'O-9' system around here, pathetically."

"Does that mean it doesn't work?"

"Don't be insulting. It's 'O'; not 'zero'."

"It's only a number. I suppose it's a bit too late to start saying 'Sorry, it doesn't work'."

After the journey on the upward platform, they got on what looked like a type of motorised dinghy and travelled to a platform on the other side of what appeared to be a large lake of purple semi-translucent fluid. After walking through the doors into the middle of a room lit only by the light filtering in through the open doors. As soon as the doors closed, all of the lights had turned off, making it pitch black.

"Oh, no..." Shinji said, becoming increasingly nervous, beginning to turn around and try to explore his surroundings . "No lights... lights switched off. Too dark."

"Hey, Shinji" Misato replied reassuringly, picking up on the Third Child's increasing anxiety levels. "Don't worry, the lights will come back on soon."

"Too dark..."

At that moment, the lights came back on, with Shinji staring a large purple head directly in the face, it's eyes shining with a yellow light, highlighting some of the features of it's metallic face. By now, the Third Child was fidgeting with his fingers, rocking back and forth on the spot more frequently.

"Ohhhhh..."

Misato walked up to Shinji and placed a calming hand on his back, to which he backed away slightly, leaving the violet-haired Captain with a bemused look on her face.

"This is Man's ultimate fighting machine; the synthetic lifeform known as Evangelion Unit-01. The last hope of all humanity in the fight against the Angels." Ritsuko said, not noticing the exchange between Misato and Shinji.

"It's been a while," came a voice with hardly any traces of emotion from a balcony above the three. Shinji looked up and noticed a man gazing down at him from above. Not knowing who the man was, the Third Child simply waved up to him as a greeting, perplexing the older Ikari. It seemed to Gendo as if the boy had switched brains with somebody else during the long time in which they had not seen even a trace of each other. The only memories Shinji ever had of Gendo were shown in pictures, while the older Ikari seemed to be indifferent and uncaring about memories of his own son. If anything, the Third Child was just a complete stranger.

Misato looked at Shinji oddly. "You're... not angry at your father?"

"_Otousan_," Shinji replied. "No. Not my father. Father is back at home. Back at home."

"He is your father, Shinji. He abandoned you when you were a child, remember?"

"Not my father. Definitely not."

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Gendo retained his cold and heartless personality, slightly fazed by the fact that Shinji did not remember his own father, although he never showed it. "We're moving out" he said, ignoring Shinji.

"Moving out?" Misato gasped in shock. "But... Unit-00 is still in cryostasis!" Her eyes widened in dread as she realised the true reason as to why Shinji was brought here. "Wait... you're going to use Unit-01?"

"There's no other way." Ritsuko spoke, calmly.

"But Rei can't use it yet, can she?" Misato cried, hoping that Shinji would not be the one to pilot it. Although he was of the correct age to pilot an Angel, in her eyes he seemed rather... odd.

"We just received one." The doctor replied.

Misato's face turned into an angry expression, knowing exactly who Ritsuko was referring to. "You cannot be serious."

Ritsuko knelt so she was at eye level with Shinji. "Shinji Ikari, you will pilot Unit-01."

"Yeah," repled the Third Child, avoiding the doctor's eyes.

"Now just wait a minute!" Misato intervened in the hopes of changing her friend's mind. "It took Rei seven months to synchronize with her Eva! What makes you think Shinji could do it? He only just got here!"

Ritsuko sighed. "All he has to do is just sit in the seat; nothing more." Misato was about to speak again, but the blond doctor cut her off. "Misato, defeating that Angel is our top priority. If putting somebody into the Eva unit when they have a chance of synchronising gives us even the slightest chance of victory, it must be done. Understood?"

Misato bowed her head and closed her mouth. She could not argue against Ritsuko's words; especially as the blond doctor was right. Defeating the Angels was NERV's sole objective. "I understand..." she replied in a hushed whisper, turning to Shinji. "Shinji-_kun_, get into the Eva."

Shinji nodded, not aware of what he was about to do. "Yeah."

"You will pilot it?"

"Yeah. I will pilot Eva."

Gendo looked down at him. "Then get into the Entry Plug."

With the help of Ritsuko and Misato, Shinji got into Unit-01's entry plug. The power was plugged into the Eva and the activation process began as Misato, Gendo and Ritsuko made their way to the command centre.

* * *

Shinji was sat inside the cockpit of Unit-01, looking around curiously at the confined space and the controls that lay in front of him. The crackling of the transmitter made him aware of one of the bridge crew trying to make contact with him. 

_"Filling the entry plug."_

His attention was diverted to an orange semi-translucent that started to fill the cockpit from the bottom. Misato and Ritsuko could see that he was visibly anxious, as he started to rock back and forth. He also started to whimper before the LCL fluid rushed up his body and eventually over his head.

"Shinji," Ritsuko spoke, "don't worry. This is LCL fluid. Don't hold your breath; you can breathe this. You'll get used to it."

Reluctantly, Shinji released the breath he was holding. He looked around again. "What do I do now?"

"Wait until launch." Misato replied.

The crew on the bridge started to run down the checklist of functions before launching the Eva.

_"Connecting main power."_

_"Secondary contacts established."_

"What's Shinji's sync rating?" Ritsuko asked, turning to Maya.

"Amazing..." the brown-haired woman replied, looking open-mouthed at the computer screen.

"Why, what is it?"

"86 percent."

Ritsuko had an expression of pure shock and amazement on her face. She and Misato had her doubts about the Third Child's ability to synchronise with the Eva, although the blond-haired doctor had a more optimistic outlook on the whole synchronisation matter, thinking that they had to take even the slightest chance.whereas Misato was more pessimistic.

Nobody - not even Gendo - would have anticipated a sync rate that high when piloting the Eva for the first time.

"That... that's just... not possible..." Ritsuko replied, slack-jawed. "That's almost perfect synchronisation!"

Misato shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Evangelion Unit-01! Prepare to launch!"

The Eva was moved onto the launch pad as a number of other functions were carried out.

"Launch!"

The purple behemoth was sent flying up the launch tunnel up to the surface of Tokyo-3. Misato watched on the big screen mounted on the wall.

_Shinji-kun..._ she thought, concerned. _Don't get killed out there..._

* * *

On the surface of Tokyo-3, it was already night time. The third Angel, Sachiel, was slowly making it's way around another building when it's attention was attracted to a flashing red light on the ground some distance away from it. The ground opened where the light was flashing, and the next thing it sawwasthe purple Eva as itlaunched through the hole, it's feet landing firmly on the ground. For what seemed to be an eternity, the Angel and the Evangelion stared at each other, trying to see who would make the first move. Shinji - with verbal help from Ritsuko - slowly but controlled the Eva's controlling mechanisms, making it walk towards the Angel. 

He managed to get within ten feet of Sachiel before the Angel made the first attack, grabbing the Eva by the face and hoisted it off the ground. Retaining it's hold on the face, it used it's free hand to grab the left arm of Unit-01 and suddenly started to twist it around. Since Shinji's experience with an Eva was virtually zero, he grabbed his arm and started to scream in agony.

"Where are the Eva's defence systems?" Ritsuko cried.

"No response from the signal!" Maya replied frantically.

"His field is not unfolding!" Matoko cried.

"What the? Have we failed already?"

Sachiel then twisted Unit-01's arm to such an extent that it snapped, causing Shinji to cry out even louder.

"Left arm damaged!"

"The circuits have snapped!"

The Angel then decided to go even further. It lifted the Eva higher of the ground, so that it's feet were level with the glowing red orb on it's chest. The iridescent protrusion that appeared from it's elbow began to glow ominously...

"Shinji-_kun_, dodge it!"

...but that instruction came too late, as the protrusion pulled back and launched forward,smashing intothe Eva's face. Shinji's screams of pain continued from within the Evangelion, the large android flinching with every strike.. Before long, the armour plating of the Eva's face completely shattered, causing large amounts of LCL to spray out the back and front of the head.

In the command centre, the emergency klaxons were sounding as red lights flashed on and off.

"The head has been damaged! Severity of damage is unknown!"

"Nerve endings are disconnecting!"

"What about Shinji?" the violet-haired Captain cried.

"Condition unknown; Unit-01 has gone completely silent!" Makoto yelled.

Misato turned to Ritsuko. "Abort the operation!"

"What?"

"Shinji-_kun_'s safety is our top priority!" She turned to Maya. "Eject the entry plug!"

"We can't," Maya screamed, "The Eva is completely out of control!"

"What the... no way!" Misato whispered, her eyes widened in shock.

After a few moments of deathly silence, the left eye of the Eva glimmered an ominous hue of yellow as it's head snapped up. The behemoth's jaw then pryed itself open, exposing its crimson metallic jaws, and elicited a battle cry.

"Unit-01 is reactivating!"

Maya looked at the screen in amazement. "That's impossible! How is that happening!"

"Impossible..." Misato concurred.

"A berserker..." Ritsuko whispered as she looked on in pure horror.

Unit-01 stood up and crouched down, preparing to attack. It leapt forward and pulled off a forward flip in midair, latching itself onto the third Angel's upper body. Sachiel grabbed onto the Eva's back, but Unit-01 leapt back off, kicking the Angel back as it landed. Turning to face the Angel once again, it growled viciously before running up to the deformed monstrosity to attack, only to come into contact with a solid, invisible barrier.

"An AT-Field?" Ritsuko muttered.

"Provided the Angel keeps the AT-Field up, Shinji can't get anywhere near it!" Misato replied.

Using it's available arm, the Eva tried to force an opening into the AT-Field, but to no avail. Raising it's left arm, the snapped appendage regenerated, with no signs of any previous damage.

"Left arm repaired!"

"Incredible..."

Unit-01 used it's good-as-new limb to help force open the AT-Field, the orange light of the said barrier beginning to flash more frequently and brightly.

"The Eva is forming it's own AT-Field! The enemy's AT-Field is being neutralised!" Maya said, watching on in awe.

"No; it's eating away at it!" Ritsuko corrected her.

With a loud growl, the Eva ripped the AT-Field apart completely, the orange light fading away as it disappeared. In a turn of momentum, Unit-01 grabbed Sachiel's left and right wrists, and twisted at both of them until they snapped off with a sickening crunch, the blue blood pouring from the broken limbs. It grabbed the Angel by the shoulders and kicked it violently in the stomach before it could counterattack, sending it crashing violently into a building that was behind it. The Eva dove towards the now vulnerable Angel and tackled it with enough force to move the building it was resting against completely off it's foundations, repeatedly striking the monstrosity as they both slid backwards.

Any hopes of finding new means of attack the Angel had were now long gone as the Evangelion in berserker mode pinned it down by what was left of it's arms, and grabbed the boney protrusions alongside the red core on it's chest, snapping those with an equally sickening crunch. Grabbing one of the broken bones, it aimed the sharp end directly at the centre of the orb, and repeatedly began to stab at it, making the Angel flinch with agony with every strike.

But the Angel was not defeated yet. Mustering what little strength it had left after the one-sided onslaught, the eyes on it's skull glimmered as its arms and legs wrapped around whatever areas of Unit-01 it could, before it curled into a ball; the red orb on it's chest pressed directly against the Eva's face. The said orb glowed a bright light of yellow, a hiss emerging from the Angel before the orb exploded, the flame forming a shape similar to that of a crucifix as it shot into the sky and spread outwards for miles around.

Through the flames, everybody in the command centre could see the familiar silhouette of the Eva, standing tall and unaffected by the Angel's final attack. Ritsuko and Misato in particular looked on in awe. Gendo, sitting at the very top in the commander's seat, looked on with a grin. Once the links between the Eva and the command centre were restored, the screen on the wall showed Shinji looking around anxiously, rocking back and forth while eliciting screeching sounds.

"Good work, Shinji," Misato congratulated, a smile on her face. "Mission accomplished. Return to NERV headquarters."

* * *

_"Are you sure? The Commander doesn't want to live together with Shinji?"_

"Hai_. Living separately will be the better option for the two of them. Things would not work out if they were to live together. Besides, Commander Ikari's son will be better off away from him. With all due respect to the Commander, I don't think he is the right person to be looking after his son; after all, they've not lived together for over ten years. His son won't get used to the new arrangements if they were to get back together."_

_"...I understand."_

* * *

Misato and Ritsuko were both sat at a table in the NERV cafeteria, the blond-haired doctor with a cup of coffee in front of her and a cigarette in her hand, leaning back in her chair. The violet-haired Captain was leant forward, her elbows resting on the table with a neutral expression on her face. 

"Ritsuko, what is it you wanted me to talk about?" Misato asked.

Ritsuko took a drag of her cigarette. "You remember when you told me you thought Shinji seemed a little odd to you?"

"_Hai_, what about it?"

"Well, you would be right - except the word 'odd' would seem to be a slightly offensive term. You see, Shinji is not your ordinary fourteen year old."

"What do you mean?" Misato tilted her head to the side.

Ritsuko sighed. "Shinji is affected by a disability known as autism."

"Shinji's disabled? But... he doesn't look like there's anything wrong with him."

"That's part of the disorder. An autistic person is not affected physically in the same way as a person that is wheelchair-bound; they 'look' like people who are not disabled. This is why it's hard to understand the nature of autism." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, autism is basically a disorder that affects the way a person can communicate with people and relate to the world around them in a social manner. These communication problems also mean that he cannot express himself in the same waywe can, or understand the emotions of other people, making him seem indifferent and unfeeling. People like him back in the days before the Second Impact used to be known as 'idiots' because of these inabilities of theirs."

"So, what difficulties does Shinji experience, exactly?" the Captain enquired.

Ritsuko put out her cigarette, and cleared her throat again. "This can vary between people, seeing as everybody is an individual. But many people who are affected by autismgenerally experience three main areas of difficulty, known as the 'Triad of Impairments'.The points on this 'triangle' are social interaction - appearing uncaring and indifferent to other people; social communication - difficulties in understanding verbal and non-verbal communication, not understanding the meanings of common gestures, facial expressions and tones of voice; and imagination - in other words, anything he says or does are what he has most likely seen or heard previously; this can often be repetitive and rigid. The outside world can be a dangerous place for Shinji if he does not receive the care and help he needs. His life mainly consists of routines and schedules; in other words, daily tasks such as eating, drinking, sleeping and going outhave to be done at set times every day. Any alterations to this routine without him being informed about it beforehand can be a terrifying experience for him. He is even unable to make decisions for himself. Physically, people with autism can have many sensory senitivities; such as taste, touch, smell, hearing. Their hearing and taste senses may be more sensitive than ours, and some may not like being touched, so I don't think you should touch Shinji if it's not necessary; from what I saw yesterday, he is one of those who has particularly sensitive areas on his body."

Misato pursed her lips. "Can autism be cured?"

Ritsuko shook her head. "Unfortunately not. It is a lifelong developmental disorder that affects the way his brain processes information. But with specialist education and structured support, he can improve and learn skills, and reach his full potential when he becomes an adult. Who knows, he may even be able to live independently. He is also one of a very rare group of people, known as 'savants'. A savant is a person who, despite having a severe disability, possesses many extremely unique talents - some which most 'normal' people do not have."

"Wow. Speaking of living, where will he be staying?"

"He'll be staying alone from what the Commander told me. His room will be in Block 6."

"Alone?"

"_Hai_."

The violet-haired woman sat in pensive silence. She could not comprehend the thought of some of the more authoritative officials allowing the Third Child to live alone, knowing of his disability. She knew that he would find it hard to adapt to a new living environment, especially since he has been used to the same one for over ten years. Finding specialists to provide the treatment and help he needed would also be hard, seeing as unauthorised personnel would not be allowed to enter the NERV complex. His daily routine would also be disrupted.

In short, Shinji would find it almost impossible to cope with his new lease of life.

"Well, that settles it then." Misato slammed her hands on the table and stood up abruptly. "I'm going to take care of Shinji. From what you told me, he can't live by himself within this complex; it's a new environment!"

"But Misato," Ritsuko tried persuading her to think otherwise, "I understand your reason for wanting to take him under your care, but this is a very big step. It would be fair enough if Shinji was a 'normal' person, but I've told you he isn't; he is severely disabled. You cannot take on such a responsibility without the guidance of professionals! Besides which, you will need permission from either the Commander or Fuyutsuki."

"Then I will get permission." Misato left the cafeteria to find the second-in-command. Ritsuko sat back and sighed, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Misato..." she whispered to herself.

* * *

Misato walked down the many corridors of the headquarters in search of Fuyutsuki, the second in command. It had been fifteen minutes since she had informed Ritsuko of this, and her searching had so far come to nothing. Choosing to continue looking, she went towards the place where he would most likely be if not in the lower depths of the complex - the command centre. 

Walking into the main room, she did, indeed, see Fuyutsuki standing on the podium beside the empty Commander's seat. The second-in-command noticed Misato walking in, and turned to face her.

"Sir, I have a request," Misato spoke.

"What is it?" Fuyutsuki replied.

"I request that the Third Child lives with me."

The second-in command raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"_Hai_. Ritsuko has told me about his disability, and I promise to take care of him to the best of my ability."

Fuyutsuki nodded. "Very well, Captain Katsuragi. I will have to informthe Commanderof this, but I see no reason for him to object since you promised to look after him."

Misato smiled. "_Arigato_, sir." She walked out of the double doors and back down the corridors to find Shinji.

_Thank you for offering to take care of him, Misato..._ Fuyutsuki thought as the captain left, a smile forming on his face. _Yui would have appreciated this..._

* * *

One hour later... 

Shinji and Misato were travelling from NERV headquarters to the purple-haired woman's flat, having received clearance from the authorities. Ritsuko still tried to persuade the Captain to change her mind, but gave up as soon as she realised that nothing would have made her think twice about this. The Third Child did not seem to mind the change in living arrangements, but Misato remembered that he cannot make his own decisions, so he did not really have that much of a choice. Shinji was sat staring out of the window, mimicking the hum of the engine as it drove through the tunnel while he counted the lights that went past.

"You know," Misato said with a smile, taking her eyes off the road (yet again), "we'll have to havea party tonight, right?"

"Party." Shinji replied in his emotionless voice.

"Yep, a welcoming party of course, for you; my new roommate!" She reached over and gave his hair a ruffle, making him stiffen slightly. This made her remember Ritsuko's words - _'Some may not like being touched, so I don't think you should touch Shinji if it isn't necessary.' _Misato retracted her hand, looking slightly dejected.

* * *

Later that evening... 

The two reached the purple-haired woman's flat about an hour or two after leaving. Although her flat was not that far from NERV headquarters, the Captain decided to make two stops; the first one was to collect the essentials - in her case, beer and instant food - from the local grocery store, and then to show Shinji the process of the buildings retracting into the GeoFront from the lookout point. The block of flats looked fairly normal in a quaint little area; a bit too grey and lacking in any exterior colours, but homely and welcoming enough in it's own little way.

On the floor where Misato's flat was, both the Third Child and the Captain were near the front door.

"Your things should have been delivered by now, Shinji," Misato said as the door opened. As she walked in, she noticed that Shinji seemed a little hesitant to walk in. "Come on in, Shinji-_kun_."

"This is not my home. Not my home." Shinji turned to go back down the steps. "Have to go back home now..."

Misato frowned slightly as she put a gentle hand on the Third Child's shoulder. "Shinji-_kun_, this is your new home now. Your father is letting me look after you." Her frown turned into a smile. "Now, what do you say we both go in and have dinner?"

"Dinner at 7.00. Tempura shrimp, noodles and fried vegetables for dinner on Tuesday nights, and ice cream for dessert."

Misato nodded. "Well, that sounds nice. Why don't we have that?"

"Yeah."

The violet-haired woman smiled, offering him her hand, which he took. "Come on, let's go in then, and we can have tempura shrimp, vegetables and noodles."

* * *

A short while later... 

Dinner was prepared in around half an hour. Misato was dressed in a yellow tanktop with denim shorts. Shinji was dressed in his usual white button-up shirt and black denim trousers, with white converse shoes.

"_Itadakimasu_!" Misato called out, as she took her chopsticks. Shinji did the same and began to eat. The violet-haired captain, however, chose to start her meal with a can of Yebisu beer. She opened up the can, and drank the contents of the entire can in a few gulps, moving the can away from her mouth with a sigh. "Ahhhhh... if only life was always this good..." she said, then began to eat. She looked across the table from her and noticed Shinji eating with enthusiasm, and smiled. _He seems really peaceful..._ she thought. _It's almost as if everything is right, and he's content with everything._

* * *

After dinner... 

After the cleaning up of the cutlery,dishes and other crockery had been done, Misato showed Shinji his new room and helped him unpack his items. This went fine, except she had to move a few things so he could get used to the new living environment. She even taped a little sign up on the door that read 'Shinji's Lovely Suite'. The bedroom was a fairly neat and cosy room, with thewalls painted a creamy white colour and the bed near the window, the thin curtainsproviding some light to wake up to in the mornings.

"So, what do you think of your new room, Shinji-kun?" Misato asked, a hand on his shoulder.

"Big. Big room."

She chuckled slightly. "Well, why don't you have a bath?"

"Yeah. Bath at 7.45."

Misato looked at the clock. "Well, it's 7.40 now, so why not get ready? There's nothing like a good bath."

"Yeah." Shinji stood there for a few moments.

"What's wrong?" Misato asked, a bemusedsmile spreading across her face.

"Yuki washed me at bathtime. Told me not to wash myself."

Misato chuckled, a slight blush spreading across her face. "Okay. You just go into the bathroom and take your clothes off, and call me when you're ready; I'll wash you." The Third Child walked into the bathroom and got changed, putting his clothes in the basket near the door.

* * *

In the bathroom... 

Shinji was standing naked beside the door, his hands making his manhood less obvious.

"Misato-_san_," he called. "Ready."

The door slid open as Misato walked into the bathroom, the blush still present on her face. She told Shinji to sit in the bath, which he did without hesitation. The violet-haired woman walked up to the bath and crouched down by him as she started to wash his back. After a few minutes, she moved on to his arms and his chest. _This feels... quite nice_, Misato thought. _I've never washed anybody before, let alone a boy. And he doesn't seem to mind so far_. Her blush intensified as she poured water over him to wash the lather off. _But now, I have to wash... down there_. She motioned for Shinji to stand up.

"Hold on to my shoulders; it's slippery," she said.

"Yeah." Shinji replied, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Misato then stood up slowly and started to wash the lower half of his body, averting her eyes as she washed between his legs. She gradually worked her way down from his hips to his feet, cleaning the bottom of his feet and between his toes.

Five minutes later...

Misato had finished drying Shinji with her towel. Normally, the drying process would have taken anything less than five minutes, but it took slightly longer as she had to be careful of overloading the Third Child's sensitivity to touch in particular areas.

After dressing himself with the help of Misato, Shinji then went into his room after thanking the violet-haired Captain with a bowand took a book from the bookshelf. From the picture on the front cover, it appeared to be a book about teams in world football. He sat on the bed and started to read after taking out his S-DAT cassette player and putting the earpieces in his ear, pressing the 'Play' button.

* * *

Later, again in the bathroom... 

Misato was having a bath of her own, sitting in the tub while the hot water was running. She ran her foot up and down her calf as she basked in the warm, soothing water. Held to her ear was a phone.

_"So, how are you coping with Shinji so far?"_ asked a voice which sounded like that of Ritsuko's. _"Everything alright?"_

"_Hai_, Ritsuko; things are going fine with him." Misato replied.

_"You do realise that you may need help in looking after him."_

"Relax! I'm going to be fine. I know he's disabled, but looking after him can't be any different to be looking after an ordinary child of his age."

_"I wouldn't be saying that; while people with autism can be a pleasure to look after, they do come with their problems. Besides, it was your idea to take him in, somaintaining him is part of your job."_

"_Hai_, _hai_... I know. So far, we're coping alright with each other. We both had dinner, and that went by with no problems. I had to help wash him though; he didn't seem to know how to do it."

_"Really?"_ Ritsuko's voice became more teasing. _"That's what you say, but I know you mean different..."_

"Ritsuko!"

_"Yare yare... anyway, so there's been no problems so far?"_

"Nope."

_"Okay. I have to go now; I still have some paperwork to get through. I'll ring you again tomorrow to check how you're both getting on."_

"Okay, bye."

_"Bye."_

Misato placed the phone back on the hook and slid back into the bath, relaxing as the warmness of the water made it's way throughout her body.

_We defeated the Angel..._ she thought. _I have a new flatmate, who is innocent in every way... all in all, it's been a good week so far_.

A small frown tugged at her face.

_So why can't I feel happy about it?_

* * *

**: _END CHAPTER TWO_ :

* * *

**

**: AUTHOR'S NOTES :**

Whee. I beat my own estimated posting time. :)

I wish QuickEdit would stop messing around with spacing and punctuation... I've had to keep re-inserting punctuation marks and correcting many spacing and formatting errors that were not made by me.

Just to clear up something that may cause a bit of confusion; when I said football, I didn't mean the American variant - I'm British, so I refer to 'soccer' as 'football'. :)

And a few responses to reviews...

**Wonderbee31:** Shinji's interaction with Rei... heh, I never even thought about that until you mentioned it. ;) I think Shinji would perhaps be more withdrawn; while Rei may take an interest in finding someone who is very similar to her, Shinji probably wouldn't be very interested in socialisation with anyone - especially when Asuka will join the fray...

**Wayne:** I hope I explaned autism enough in this chapter with Ritsuko's monologue. He will be a Raymond-like character in the sense that he has his own unique talents and gifts, and that he is so used to a set routine, e.g. having lunch at 12.30, watching TV at 12.50, etc. Then again, every person with an autistic spectrum disorder is, though I'm unsure if that applies to Asperger's Syndrome (a 'milder' form of autism)as much as it does to 'classic' autism.

**Liber Logaeth:** I love my brother more than anything. Some of his mannerisms can be annoying - especially in public - but that's what makes him unique. I'd never have him any other way. My brother isn't a savant, but he has his own unique abilities, like memorisation of certain things.

**Wildcard-JT:** It won't be a Rain Man crossover in particular. I'm going to try and make it as original as possible.

As always, all feedback is welcome; either by email or by review. Just look in my profile for my email address.


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